This is the finale of the second original arc! And a certain someone will finally make their appearance in this chapter! I hope you all enjoy!
And if you're curious, yes. I know Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was announced and I can't think of anything to say. All I can say is that I would be more excited if I wasn't feeling so stressed out lately and the disappointment of Smash Ultimate hadn't dulled my sense of hype. But I will definitely get excited when it's a week or two away from release and I get my hands on the game this September.
With the moon and stars in the sky, Luke, Pyra, and Emery were being stared down by a mysterious woman in black.
"Pyra, do you know this woman?" Luke inquired.
"Who are you? And why do you look like her?" Pyra asked the woman, ignoring Luke's question.
"Years ago, someone sought to create Demon Swords equal in strength to the most powerful Holy Swords." The woman began speaking with a cold voice. "To achieve this, they created dark counterparts to these Holy Swords."
"Then… that makes you the Dark Aegis." Pyra said.
"Pyra, if she's your dark counterpart, how come she doesn't look anything like you?" Luke questioned.
"If you have to ask that, then it seems you don't know who the Aegis truly is." The 'Dark Aegis' interjected. "I thought my counterpart would tell her new champion everything about her."
"Are you here for Conrad?" Emery asked as she readied for a fight.
"My only interest in coming here…"
Shadows gathered around the Dark Aegis's right hand and they eventually took the shape of a large, jagged black sword emitting dark purple energy taking the form of a blade.
The Dark Aegis pointed her sword at Pyra. "Is to challenge the Aegis!"
She wants to challenge Pyra?! Luke thought.
"Luke…" Pyra spoke to Luke quietly with a shaky voice. "When I start fighting her, I want you and Emery to get as far away from here as you can."
"Pyra, I'm not going to just leave you to fight her alone!" Luke protested.
"You don't understand. If she's my Demon Sword counterpart, you don't stand a chance against her."
"She's right." The Dark Aegis overheard their conversation. "Using her full power against the Evil Dragon Apokálypsis, the Aegis defeated the Evil Dragons and wiped out three entire cities in a single night."
Luke looked on in shock hearing that information. I knew Pyra was powerful to defeat an Evil Dragon, but to destroy three whole cities along with him…
"However, if you are the Aegis's current champion, you must partake in this battle as well."
"Leave Luke out of this!" Pyra angrily shouted. "And I swore never to use that power again!"
I've never seen Pyra get like this.
I told you that girl was hiding something. Opheria mentally spoke to Luke.
The Dark Aegis just looked at Pyra with intense eyes before closing them. "… I see… Perhaps this is the only way…"
Suddenly, Luke felt a fist plunge right into his gut and he realized that the Dark Aegis had went right up to him at a blinding speed and attacked him. The force of the punch sent him flying back several meters and skidding across the ground.
"Luke!" Pyra exclaimed as she charged at the Dark Aegis with her blazing Aegis sword.
The Dark Aegis blocked Pyra's attack and their blades clashed.
"I knew this would get you to fight me." The Dark Aegis had a small smile on her face.
"Pyra!" Luke shouted as he ran toward his partner. "Hand me the sword and channel your power to me!"
"Luke, stay back! That last fight exhausted most of your power and stamina! Just let me handle her!"
"I know you don't want me to get killed, but I don't want you getting yourself killed either!"
The Dark Aegis kicked Pyra away and struck Luke in the chest with the pommel of her sword. Even though it was a Demon Sword instead of a Holy Sword, Luke still felt an indescribable pain reverberate through his body and he dropped to his knees as blood spilled from his mouth.
"You bitch!" Emery yelled as she charged at the Dark Aegis.
The Dark Aegis stabbed her sword into the ground and the ground was immediately destroyed, creating an explosive force that knocked Emery away.
"As long as I will it, this blade instantly destroys anything it touches." The Dark Aegis stated before turning back to Pyra. "I see you still haven't fully awakened to your power, Aegis. Maybe you need a little more incentive."
Luke suddenly found himself with the Dark Aegis's blade just a hair's length away from his neck.
"NO!" Pyra screamed.
"If you don't awaken your true self now, then you have forfeited this boy's life."
"Pyra, just do as she says!" Luke said.
"I… I can't…" Pyra hesitated.
"Pyra!"
"I'm sorry it turned out like this." The Dark Aegis apologized to Luke as she raised her sword into the air, preparing to bring it down on his head.
"LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!"
(Play "Counterattack" – Xenoblade Chronicles 2)
As Pyra yelled at the top of her lungs, her body released a brilliant and radiant glow that completely obscured her form. Barely making out the details from within, Luke could see Pyra's form and the Aegis sword's shape change. The Aegis sword became a large, jagged white sword with yellow-green light emitting from it in the form of a blade and in Pyra's place was a woman with long blonde hair, golden eyes, and was wearing a short white dress with numerous golden and green ornaments, and a golden tiara.
"P… Pyra?" Luke spoke under his breath.
"Now this is more like it." The Dark Aegis turned to the woman who appeared. "The Aegis's true form."
The blonde woman dashed forward at what seemed like the speed of light, clashed swords with the Dark Aegis, and pushed her away from Luke.
"Take this."
The woman held her white sword to Luke as he stood up, to which he acquiesced to her request. As the sword was in his hands, he could feel intense holy power emanating from it.
"Thanks, um, P-"
"I am not Pyra."
"Huh?"
"I am Mythra (Age ?). Pyra is another self Hephaestus constructed."
So… She's both Pyra and not?
"Focus on the enemy!" Mythra interrupted his thoughts.
"R-right!"
"Time to see if your power matches the legends." The Dark Aegis said as she dashed forward with her sword at the ready.
As Mythra channeled her power into Luke, it felt like time had suddenly stopped. However, this was completely different from when he was under the effects of Gasper's Forbidden Balor View because he could actually move and had awareness of what was going on, and the Dark Aegis was leaving behind afterimages as she moved forward even though she herself was completely visible to him.
"What's happening?" Luke felt uneasy at this sudden occurrence.
"This is Foresight." Mythra explained to him. "It's a prediction of what will happen in the immediate future."
Luke watched the prediction of the Dark Aegis swing down her sword diagonally, then horizontally, then vertically, and ending her flurry with a forward stab. When the flow of time returned to normal, the Dark Aegis made those very same moves in that order, blocking the diagonal, horizontal, and vertical slashes with his Aegis sword and dodging the stab, taking this chance to counter by cutting off the Dark Aegis's right hand. The Dark Aegis watched her hand and sword fly off and land on the ground nearby.
"Heheheheh… Ahahahahahaha!" The Dark Aegis burst into laughter like she was enjoying herself. "So, this is the true power of the Aegis! Things are getting fun now!"
The Dark Aegis walked up to her severed hand, picked it up, and placed it on the stump as it reattached itself. She opened and closed her right hand to check if it was moving again.
"Oh, come on! She can regenerate?!" Luke exclaimed in frustration. Maybe it's like with Riser where I need to wear down her stamina…
"This is the battle against the Aegis I've been waiting for!"
(End Song)
Suddenly, a wall of ice appeared between them which the Dark Aegis was easily able to destroy with her blade.
"What is this?" The Dark Aegis questioned under her breath.
"I am the Underworld's Heroine of Justice!"
A completely new voice echoed throughout the immediate area and everyone looked around in search of who just spoke.
That sounded like Lady Serafall. Luke noticed about the voice.
"I am the scam call that won't leave you alone!"
… What?
Dropping from the sky between Luke and the Dark Aegis with ten Devil wings was a beautiful girl with blue hair tied into twin tails and a blue left eye while her right eye was covered by an eyepatch, and she was wearing a dark blue leather coat flowing with the wind, black shirt, white short-shorts with a black belt, and dark blue boots. The woman looked at the Dark Aegis with a confident grin.
"I am Selene Blue (Age 22)!"
"Uhhhhhh…" The Dark Aegis just stared at the strange woman who called herself Selene in completely confusion.
"Luke, we'll take it from here."
Luke suddenly heard another familiar voice and Belinda approached to his side.
"Ms. Green?!" Luke exclaimed in surprise.
"The Dark Aegis is Genesis's responsibility." Belinda stated. "Besides, you have exhausted yourself in the previous battle, have you not?"
"Uh, can you at least explain what's going on?" Luke asked.
"All will be explained once we have dealt with the Dark Aegis." Belinda replied as she walked up to Selene's side and made her Laevateinn appear.
"Stay out of this, Devils." The Dark Aegis said to them.
"We won't allow a villainous Demon Sword like you continue to cause destruction!" Selene spoke in an incredibly corny tone like she was a battle manga protagonist. "Prepare to face the most powerful executives of Genesis… aside from Executive Director Red, of course!"
It sounds like she's trying way too hard to be cool…
The Dark Aegis looked around at her four opponents for several seconds before closing her eyes.
"This battle has become far too crowded." The Dark Aegis sighed before looking directly at Mythra. "You said your name is 'Mythra', right? And your other self is 'Pyra'?"
Mythra didn't vocally respond to the Dark Aegis and just glared at her.
"… Then my name is Umbra (Age ?). I expect you and your champion to become stronger when we next meet."
The Dark Aegis who called herself Umbra turned into shadows and slipped into the darkness of the trees.
"I won't let you get away."
Belinda tried to cut off Umbra's escape, but it was already too late.
Luke let out a sigh of relief. "At least we're alive to see another day…"
As soon as the battle was over, Mythra went up to Luke in a huff.
"Why?! Why did you make me wake up?!"
"…" Luke wasn't sure how to respond.
"I didn't want to wake up! I left everything to Pyra so I wouldn't have to use my power ever again! But you had to be a complete idiot and wake me up!"
Wake her up? She, er, Mythra was sleeping inside Pyra this whole time?
"If you had run away like she asked you to, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't have been forced to use my power!"
"You're being too harsh on Luke." Emery tried to intervene.
"This doesn't concern you!" Mythra shouted at Emery.
"Don't talk to Emery like that!"
Mythra just leered at Luke for a few seconds. "… You really screwed up."
"… You know what? You're right. Yeah, I knew I didn't stand a chance against Umbra… but… I also couldn't let her kill you."
"W-wha…" Mythra was taken aback by Luke's admittance.
"I didn't try to save you because you're the Aegis! I tried to save you because you're my friend and I wanted you to come back home alive!"
As Mythra looked at Luke in surprise, her hardened expression became noticeable softer for a second before she looked away from him.
"W-well, if you have any other questions, ask her."
Mythra became enveloped in light and her form had returned to that of Pyra.
"… That's not fair…" Pyra muttered to herself as she turned back to face Luke and Emery. "I'm very sorry about that…"
Luke's phone started ringing and noticing that it was Rias calling, he picked up the call.
"President?"
"Luke! Thank goodness you're safe!" Rias's voice on the phone seemed relieved. "Executive Director Red wants to speak to you and Pyra. Meet us at Melody's home. We'll be staying there while my brother renovates your house. Did you find Emery?"
"Yes, Emery is fine and Conrad has been restrained." Luke answered. "We're on our way now."
Luke hung up and told everyone what his recent call was about.
"I'll stay here and make sure this villain doesn't try to sneak away." Selene said.
"By the way, who are you?" Luke asked her.
"Didn't you pay intention to my heroic entrance?!" Selene looked like she was about to cry.
"This is Selene Blue, one of the directors of Genesis." Belinda explained. "She reads a lot of… what were they called? 'Manga' and 'comic books'?"
"That explains her bizarre behavior." Pyra nervously chuckled.
"Hold on!" Selene went up to Luke and lifted up her eyepatch, showing that her right eye was completely fine, and examined him. "Hmmm… Oh! Are you the Sapphire Dragon Emperor?! Wielder of the Aegis?!"
"Y-yes." Luke was caught a bit off guard at Selene's sudden excitement.
"It's so nice to meet a fellow Hero of Justice!"
However, Luke noticed something oddly familiar about Selene as it reminded him of another childish Devil he recently met.
Not only does Selene sound like Lady Serafall, but she also looks a lot like her. Aside from the blue hair and the shōnenhero thing. Do Serafall and Sona have another sister I don't know about? Actually, now that I think about it, Grimm reminds me a lot of both Sirzechs and Michael… I know sometimes two people who aren't related can look alike, but this is really, really weird. "By the way, why do you wear that eyepatch when your eye seems fine?"
"Don't people wear eyepatches to look cool?"
Oooookay, I get it now…
In the city of London, there was an old house with the lights still on as the other buildings in the area were turning off their lights for the night. Inside that old building, Ruby had just finished organizing a collection of tomes.
"Finally." Ruby breathed with relief. "Morgana really needs to learn to categorize these books herself. She can't expect me to do all this for the rest of her life."
Ding! Ding!
The doorbell alerted Ruby and she was about to make her way to the door.
"Whoa!"
However, she suddenly slipped and fell to the floor, the aftershock causing some of the books she just finished organizing to spill onto the floor. Ruby sighed in frustration before standing back up and making her way to the door. After checking the peephole, she opened the door with an excited expression.
"Karlel, it's so good to see you again!"
"Ruby! Have you finally gotten laid?" Karlel waved and grinned.
"Can you at least try to be original?" Ruby pouted.
"Is Morgana here? There's something I need to talk to her about."
"She's probably still up doing research. I'll go fetch her right away. Would you like some tea?"
"That would be lovely, Ruby. Thank you."
After Ruby went upstairs, Karlel took a look around the place and went up to a series of framed photographs. There was one photograph Karlel was searching for and her eyes locked onto it once it was within her sights. That photograph had a Magician couple with a young girl with black hair tied into twin-tails wearing a cloak and hat with star patterns. However, there were also two seemingly unrelated figures in the image. One was a man that looked exactly like Luke's father and the other was a baby girl with scarlet hair in his arms.
So, she does know him… Karlel thought.
"Morgana will be downstairs in a minute." Ruby had returned downstairs and headed toward the kitchen. "I'll be making your tea now."
Karlel spent another good minute analyzing the photograph until she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Karlel, it's been a while."
Karlel looked toward the staircase that a woman was walking down. This woman had long black hair and dark blue eyes, and was wearing a large, dark purple witch's hat with a dark purple dress with slits on the sides to show off her shapely legs and wide hips and a window on top to reveal her massive cleavage, as well as black leggings and dark purple stilettos.
"You haven't aged a day." The womanly magician complimented.
"Morgana, I see your tits are still somehow bigger than mine." Karlel greeted her back with a playful grin.
"Jealous of a human, are you?" She responded with an equal amount of playfulness.
This woman was one of the famed Magicians of Grauzauberer, Morgana Merlina Evergarden (Age 27).
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Morgana asked.
"I came to ask about the man in this photo." Karlel held up the photograph she was examining less than a minute ago.
Morgana's expression became serious. "… Why the sudden interest?"
"I recently came across a naughty boy who also has a picture of this man."
Karlel took something out of her pocket and handed it to Morgana. That item was a copy of the photograph Luke and his family and Morgana was breathless as she stared at it.
"That boy is the son of this acquaintance of yours." Karlel stated.
Morgana's lips curled into a warm smile as tears welled up in her eyes. "I see… Laelius has a son…"
"Unfortunately, there is no history of Laelius Sigmund before his stay with you and your family. That is why I'm here."
Morgana continued staring at the photograph in silence, but she eventually spoke up again.
"… You're a close friend, so you deserve to know. I will tell you everything I know about Laelius. I just ask for one thing in return."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"I want to meet this boy."
"We've got a bit of a packed schedule for the next three weeks, but I'll be sure to get in touch when I can set some time for you to meet."
"It's a deal then."
What Morgana told Karlel was something that even she couldn't even begin to imagine.
Luke guided Pyra, Emery, and Belinda to Melody's house since he knew where it was as he and Seth used to live there before Allegra bought them their own place. As soon as they arrived, Pyra and Emery were in complete and utter shock at the sight of the place that their mouths dropped.
"This is Melody's house?!" Emery exclaimed.
It was less of a house and more like a mansion.
"Why are you two so surprised?" Belinda questioned. "Lady Allegra is the president of Bald Mountain Records."
"It is an excessively large place for only a handful of people, though…" Luke sighed in exasperation at Belinda's lack of reaction.
After notifying security of their arrival, they were picked up by limousine and driven to the mansion's front door.
"How long was that drive?" Emery murmured under her breath after getting out of the limousine.
After exiting the limousine, the four of them were permitted inside the mansion and the front door opened up. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by Melody and Akeno.
"We're h-"
Before Luke could alert them, Melody suddenly went up to him and embraced him.
"Luke, it's… good to see you well." Melody whispered to Luke with a shaky voice before pulling herself off of him.
"Where are Rias and Grimm?" Pyra inquired.
"They are currently waiting in the library." Akeno replied.
"We'll take you to there." Melody said.
Luke, Pyra, Emery, and Belinda followed Melody and Akeno to the mansion's library where they saw Rias, Hana, Xenovia, Setsuna, Kayoko, and Katherine sitting in various chairs with Grimm sitting in a fancy chair in the center with his Regalia Virtue and Sin standing at his sides.
"Executive Director Red, do you want me to call my other servants?" Melody asked as she entered.
"No, it is likely they are asleep by now." Grimm waved his hand. "You can inform them of everything I will tell you when you see them tomorrow morning."
"Luke, did that Dark Aegis hurt you?!" Rias shot up from her chair and ran up to Luke.
"No, I got this when I fought Conrad-Huh? How do you know about the Dark Aegis?"
"That is why Master Red wished to speak with everyone here today." Virtue informed.
"Get ready to have your minds blown." Sin said with a grin.
After everyone pulled a chair and sat down, Grimm looked around one more time to double check that everyone was listening. Fumiko was sitting next to Luke so she could heal his injuries.
"What I am about to tell you all is confidential information." Grimm began. "The only other parties who know at the moment are the leaders of the Three Factions. This is the truth of how Genesis was founded."
'Truth'?
"… Decades ago, there was a warrior and researcher of the Vatican named Matteo Aloise."
"'Matteo Aloise'?!" Xenovia shot out of her chair. "As in the one excommunicated from the Church for experimenting with demonic power?"
"Oh, spoiler warning." Grimm playfully remarked. "But yes, he became interested in combining his training as a holy warrior with the skills of Devils, and eventually learned the truth of God's fate. Once his superiors discovered this, he was immediately excommunicated and branded a heretic."
After what happened to Xenovia and Asia, I'm not the least bit surprised.
"However, Matteo did not harbor a grudge against the Church. On the contrary, he was relieved that he could now freely travel the world and learn more about weapons and artifacts, both holy and demonic, without restriction. And so, he acquired vast knowledge of holy and demonic relics, as well as a legion of followers skilled in espionage and intel gathering. Through the fruits of their labors, he and his followers founded the research institute Genesis, for they sought to bring about a new beginning for humanity where righteousness and vice could coexist in perfect harmony."
"That sounds so idealistic, I'm sure this is the part where things go wrong." Melody said.
Grimm leaned forward with his hands together and his eyes looking downward. "… Yes. At that point he conducted many experiments, one of which was creating Demon Swords on the same level as the most powerful Holy Swords. To achieve that, they used their research on these Holy Swords to create Demon Sword counterparts. Although only three of them resulted in success. As you already know, the Aegis was one of them. The other two are Durandal and Excalibur."
"Both Durandal and Excalibur?!" Xenovia gasped.
"We call these weapons Dark Excalibur, Dark Durandal, and Dark Aegis. After the Dark Aegis's creation, she ran amok. So many lives were lost that day…" As if recalling a painful memory, Grimm tightened his grip on his hands as his arms shook in frustration. "And so much progress turned to ash…"
"You… you were there when Umbra attacked, weren't you?" Pyra asked.
"Heh, you figured it out. After the Dark Aegis finished her rampage, Matteo and the Demon Swords disappeared. While searching the wreckage for other survivors, I discovered that all of the research was still intact. Matteo probably had a feeling one of his experiments would go awry someday and created a bunker to store his findings for later use. The only things that remained in the aftermath were that research, one of his followers, and six test subjects."
"Since you're a Devil, my guess is you were one of the test subjects." Rias said.
"Yes. Before I became the Executive Director of Genesis today, I was a test subject. After being fascinated by Matteo's research, I resolved to rebuild Genesis and learn from the mistakes of his hubris. That is everything you need to know about our history."
"And the Regalia you created were based on the schematics for the Dark Aegis?" Pyra inquired.
"Yes. Those notes were critical in the creation of the Regalia. If not for that, I wouldn't have made my dear partners Virtue and Sin."
"We are forever grateful for that, Master Grimm." Virtue politely bowed.
"Yeah, neither me nor Sis would even be here if that accident never happened." Sin waved her hair and looked away like a tsundere.
Grimm then looked back to the young Devils in the library. "When I heard that the Dark Aegis reappeared, I immediately knew that she would challenge the original to test her power. I came here today to warn you about the Demons Swords should you be attacked again. If you see the Dark Aegis or anyone wielding Dark Excalibur or Dark Durandal, do not fight them. Belinda, as their teacher, I entrust the protection of these children to you."
"Of course, Executive Director Red." Belinda lightly bowed to him.
"Before I take my leave…" Grimm walked up to Luke and Pyra. "I heard that you will be spending your summer break training."
"Y-yeah." Luke slightly hesitated before answering. "At least, that's what Azazel and Karlel said."
"Well, if you have the time to spare, I would be more than happy to train you how to use the Aegis."
Both Luke and Pyra were caught off guard by Grimm's invitation.
"I'll be sure to get in contact with Karlel and let her know. I look forward to our next meeting, Sapphire Dragon Emperor."
As soon as Grimm and his Regalia left the library, Luke looked to Pyra who had an expression of uncertainty.
"Pyra, are you okay with that?" Luke asked.
"I… I'm not sure… I'm terrified of using that power again…"
"Oh yeah, what was that about, anyway?" Emery spoke up. "It's like you were a completely different person."
"'A completely different person'?" Rias seemed slightly confused.
"Yeah, her hair color, outfit, and personality were totally different." Emery clarified.
"Her name was Mythra, right?" Luke asked to confirm. "She said that you were another personality created by Hephaestus. Is there anything you can tell us?"
Pyra appeared to be reluctant at first but she eventually clenched her hands in her lap and looked up at everyone. "All right. It's time I tell you about who I am."
"Oooh, another story!" Katherine sat in her chair in anticipation.
Pyra began once everyone was ready to listen. "In ancient times, Hephaestus created Mythra as a living weapon to act as Zeus's shield, the Aegis. However, to fully utilize our power, she required a champion from among the humans. That man was our original Wielder, Hector, a brave and noble warrior from Athens. Together, we fought in countless battles and he proved himself worthy of recognition from the pantheon… One day, Greece was under attack by the Evil Dragon Apokálypsis and we eventually fought. I emerged victorious, but at a massive cost. Three great cities were destroyed and thousands of lives lost… including Hector."
Luke looked down at the floor in sadness.
"After the battle, Hephaestus reforged me and created the form you see before you. Eventually, realizing that my power was too great, he decided to seal me away until someone worthy enough could reawaken me."
"And the next thing you know, the two of us met?" Luke surmised.
"I believe it was fate for us to meet. Otherwise, my sister never would have woken up."
"You think of this other side of you as your sister?" Rias inquired.
"In that vision of Olympus where we first met, Mythra and I would talk to each other. We promised that when we were reawakened, we would return to the real Olympus."
"Hmmm… I can't tell if this story has a happy ending or not." Katherine commented.
"I'd say the ending is still being written." Akeno said.
"I still can't believe that the Aegis's power is beyond anything I thought." Rias looked like she was pondering something. "No doubt this will be a great asset to us in the Rating Games, provided that you'll be permitted, of course."
"W-wha?" Pyra stammered in confusion.
"If you and Luke learn to control the Aegis's power, you'll rise in the ranks in no time." Rias proclaimed.
"I refuse to use that power ever again!" Pyra stood up as she protested.
"You used that power to protect Luke, didn't you?"
Pyra couldn't argue with Rias's rebuttal and sat back down.
"Besides, in the Rating Games, you won't have to worry about hurting anyone." Rias pointed out.
"President, what if Pyra and Mythra aren't permitted in the Rating Game?" Luke questioned.
"Executive Director Red is currently planning to go over the rules for Regalia with the Great Satans. I would imagine they would follow similar restrictions as familiars in which the number and time limit for each one varies depending on its strength."
As Rias kept talking about the possibilities for the Rating Game, Pyra just looked away.
Do I… really have to use that power again?
As the women were getting ready to take their baths, Luke went to the room he would be spending the night in. It was a fairly large room with a large bed with purple satin sheets and pillowcases.
That bed is way too big for just me. Knowing President and Fumiko, they'll want to share the bed, too. Honestly, I've been sleeping with them for so long, it would feel weird if I started going to bed by myself again.
Feeling exhausted from the night's events, Luke fell back onto the bed and let his body sink into the mattress. However, he was brought out of his relaxed state and sat up as he heard someone enter the room.
"I'm very sorry about Mythra." Pyra apologized to him. "She didn't mean all that. Rias was right. Mythra woke up and broke her seal to protect you, even going so far as to use the power of the Aegis… My power is only a small fraction of what she's capable of."
"It might just be the exhaustion talking, but I'm not too hung up about it." Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "Honestly, I'm just glad I know more about you. And thank you for protecting me. Your power really is incredible. I now see how you were able to defeat a powerful dragon."
"B-but… I…"
"You still regret what happened during that battle against Apokálypsis, right?"
Pyra solemnly narrowed her eyes toward the floor.
"… I won't pretend like I know what you're going through, but at the very least…" Luke got off of the bed, walked up to Pyra, and held out his right arm. "With me as your wielder, we'll use your power to bring happiness to everyone, including you."
Luke's posture reminded Pyra of one of Mythra's most treasured memories.
(Millennia ago, at the foot of Mount Olympus, Mythra was standing in front of a tall, well-toned man with dark hair and wearing light leather Greek armor, his arm extended out. This man was her first Wielder, Hector.
"From this day forth, we'll use our power to help the people."
Mythra extended her right arm out as well and the two firmly locked hands.)
"… Yeah." Pyra finally extended her arm out and firmly clasped her hand with Luke's.
"You should join the other girls in the bath." Luke said. "It'll help relax you before going to bed."
"R-right."
Pyra turned around and left the room. However, after walking down the hall for a few seconds, she could no longer hold back the tears welling up inside her.
The next morning, Luke, Rias, and Fumiko were still sleeping soundly in the very large bed they were permitted to sleep for the night. Luke could feel his consciousness return somewhat, but just tried to enjoy any extra sleep he could get.
"… mmmm…"
Luke heard a sigh that he didn't recognize as Rias's or Fumiko's, the latter of whom was in his arms, so he opened his eyes which widened when he realized that Mythra was sleeping right next to him wearing only a black bra and panties.
Crap! What's Mythra doing in my bed?! Maybe I can feign sleeping and she'll leave on her own.
Just as Luke closed his eyes again, the still sleeping Mythra grabbed a hold of him and pulled his head right into her cleavage, causing his face to become red.
Are you kidding me?! She's going to be so pissed when she wakes up! … Although, I have to admit this does feel nice…
However, Mythra slowly opened her eyes and just stared at Luke for a few seconds.
"… Bwah!" Mythra leapt out of the bed while holding onto the sheet to cover herself up. "Get out of my bed, you little pervert!"
"What's happening?!" Rias shot up awake, her topless figure in full view.
"Ah! I'm awake!" Fumiko panicked as she also suddenly say up.
"You're the one who was in our bed." Luke attempted to defend himself.
"My, my, it's getting really noisy…"
A fifth voice groggily spoke up and they saw something squirming underneath the sheets, eventually seeing Akeno poke her head out from them and rubbing her eyes.
"Akeno?! When did you get here?!" Luke exclaimed.
"I really wanted to be with you, so I snuck into your bed in the middle of the night, Luke-kun." Akeno came out from under the sheets to reveal her loose black hair and the thin yukata she was wearing.
"Akeno…" Rias turned to her Queen with a menacing aura. "If you wanted to climb into bed with someone, you should have done so with one of the other girls."
"But I wanted to be with Luke-kun." Akeno embraced Luke with a teasing face.
"Ohhhhh… And my sleep was so peaceful…"
A groan was heard elsewhere on the bed and they saw a completely naked Setsuna sitting up.
"Setsuna, don't tell me you snuck into my bed, too?!" Luke was started to become baffled.
"I did." Setsuna answered with flushed cheeks. "Since you are to be my future husband, I wanted to get used to sleeping in the same bed as you."
"… Who else snuck in here?" Rias glared throughout the room.
Suddenly, a foot was pushing itself against Luke's face. After struggling to move his face while it was being pushed away, he saw that Xenovia, wearing a bed T-shirt and shorts, was still asleep and was the one putting her foot against him.
"Xhenofia, too?" Luke tried to speak while having a foot in his face.
"I wish I got here earlier before the other girls got the good spots." Emery was the next one to sit up, wearing nothing but a black bra and panties with one of the straps loose.
After finally moving his head so Xenovia's foot would get out of his face, Luke realized that he could feel something soft weighing down on his legs. He pulled the sheets and saw a sleeping Katherine in kitten pajamas and Kayoko in a yukata holding onto his legs.
"Good morning, Luke-san." Kayoko looked at him with affectionate eyes and flushed cheeks. "I trust this yukata is to your liking?"
Before Luke could give any sort of response, Rias pushed him out of the way with glistening eyes.
"Kayoko, I want you to become my servant!"
"Huh?" Kayoko looked at Rias in confusion.
Considering how chaotic this morning already is, I'm sure the rest of the day won't be easy. Luke thought as Rias was trying to convince Kayoko to join her peerage.
"Looks like you've become quite popular."
The last voice took Luke by surprise and he turned to the side where Rias had come from to see Melody in violet pajamas. The sight of her made Luke fall silent and stare at her until he felt something soft against his back.
"With Buchou distracted, how about we engage in a little skinship?" Akeno cooed into Luke's ear.
Steam began rising from Luke's red face at Akeno's honeyed words.
"Akeno, Luke's bed is sacred ground for me." Rias proclaimed as she shifted her attention back to Akeno. "Aside from him and Fumiko, no one else is permitted here."
"My, my, you're quite the possessive young lady." Akeno chuckled as she let go of Luke. "Are you afraid I'll take Luke-kun away from you?"
Both Rias and Akeno were giving each other such intense glares, that it could be felt throughout the entire room.
"Come on, Rias." Melody got in between Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies. "Even you must know that one day, Luke is going to have many brides and he'll need to give every one attention."
You think I'm going to have a harem someday, too, Melody?! Luke thought in disbelief.
"Stay out of this, Melody!" Rias shouted at her.
Luke let out a quiet sigh and proceeded to get out of the bed while the girls were arguing. However, as he was about to get off, he realized that his legs were still asleep from having Kayoko and Katherine sleeping on top of them all night and tripped over himself. However, as he fell he accidentally grabbed the end of the sheet Mythra was holding onto and her bra along with it, and he fell face first onto the floor.
"Ohghhhhhh…" Luke groaned in pain while his head felt like it was spinning.
When Luke could feel his senses come back to him, he realized that something was clutched in his hand, He looked up slightly and saw that what was in his hand was an unhooked black bra. Realizing who the bra belonged to, Luke blushed and lowered his face back onto the floor to avoid seeing Mythra's topless form.
"I'm sorry!" Luke panicked as he held up Mythra's bra to her while his face was firmly planted on the floor.
Mythra, aggravated about everything that had transpired in the last minute, took her bra back and put it back on as she practically stomped out of the bedroom.
That… could have gone better…
At that moment, Luke could hear his phone going off. He tried to get off of the floor but found that Kayoko had grabbed it already and handed it to him.
"Thanks, Kayoko." Luke said before answering his phone. "Hey, Seth."
"Um, Luke… What happened to our house? It's a lot bigger than it used to be."
"Oh yeah, President did say something about renovations… We spent the night at Melody's place."
"Well, that was some damn fast work because it looks like all the work is done."
"Oh right, the renovations should be done by now." Rias said as she placed her index finger against her chin.
Luke just blankly stared in place as he tried to process what Rias had just said.
… What?
A/N: That's the end of the chapter. I've been feeling pretty stressed out lately due to multiple things going on right now and can't wait for the weekend.
Mythra has finally awakened! And the other Mythra that appeared at the end of the last chapter is actually a Demon Sword version of her. By the way, the Hector that was her original Wielder is not the prince of Troy (just a coincidence).
With the backstory of Genesis, I revealed that Grimm was a test subject long before he took over. And yes, all but one of the executives were test subjects of the old Genesis, but more on specifics later. Plus, I got to introduce another one of the executives, the flamboyant Selene Blue. More executives will be revealed in the next arc. And I plan for Matteo Aloise to have bigger ripple effects throughout the story as it goes on.
I also got to reveal Morgana and she's going to be a very fun character to write. Her design was heavily inspired by Mona and Lisa from Genshin Impact, but I've upped the sexy to 12.
Next chapter I will show off the renovations done on Luke and Seth's house, as well as a couple of other surprises.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Stay tuned for next time!
Luke Harem: Rias Gremory, Karlel, Annabelle Wright, Akeno Himejima, Fumiko Kazuya, Melody Morag, Setsuna Kazama, Kayoko Kita, Xenovia Quarta, Emery Belmont
Issei Harem: Misaki Shirayuki, Asia Argento, Hikaru Ueda, Akira Kazuya, Kiyome Abe
Rias Gremory Peerage: Rias Gremory (King), Akeno Himejima (Queen), Yuuto Kiba (Knight), Xenovia Quarta (Knight), Koneko Toujo (Rook), Fumiko Kazuya (Bishop), Gasper Vladi (Bishop), Luke Sigmund (8 Pawns)
Seth Sigmund Peerage: Seth Sigmund (King), Annabelle Wright (Queen), Alastair Wright (Rook), Emery Belmont (Rook), Hana Sakuya (2 Bishops), Setsuna Kazama (Knight)
Melody Morag Peerage: Melody Morag (King), Misaki Shirayuki (Queen), Katherine Petrova (Knight), Spiral Hirano (Knight), Azusa Hirano (Rook), Akira Kazuya (Rook), Hikaru Ueda (Bishop), Asia Argento (Bishop), Issei Hyoudou (8 Pawns)